BUILDING BLOCKS

Is horde mode citybuilder CATACLISMO a towering achievement?

- By Tom Sykes

Cataclismo's been in Early Access since last year, and it's a testament to how well-realized the concept was that this is the same game, just with extra bits on. The biggest bits are the additional campaign missions, which round out the story of Iris, the mystical overseer on a mission to save humanity from the Horrors. It's not a huge campaign, but the environments, units and structures are beautiful and the world is dripping with atmosphere.

The game's hook is just as strong as it prepares to exit Early Access. You citybuild (and tower defend) by building your defenses brick by brick, as if you're playing with the iconic Mega Bloks. The best part of the game is hearing the blocks slot together, and their anxious wobbling as you're about to tear them apart. The focus of most missions is on manually building structures to defend your base, decorating them with costly embellishments including fire arrows and inspirational banners, and finally staffing them with units trained in the local barracks. When the horde attacks on that first night, you can then sit back, sip your brandy and marvel at your idiocy as they find that wall you forgot to strengthen.